Intravascular tissue characterization is currently performed in conjunction with the evaluation of lesions within the lumens of vessels. Such characterization generally evaluates the properties of the lesion and provides a graphic display of the tissue types for the user. Example of such tissue characterization techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,627,156 and 7,789,834, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. While these systems have been sufficient at providing information concerning properties of the lesion, there remains a need to determine additional information about the vessel and surrounding supportive tissue to evaluate vessel health and determine appropriate therapies. Such additional features can also consider further aspects about prosthetic devices positioned in the vasculature.
In addition, intravascular imaging systems have been developed to identify the border between different layers within a vessel. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,463,759 and 8,233,718, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, disclose techniques for determining the borders been various regions within the vessel. Although such techniques provide valuable information in many situations, when occlusions have disrupted vessel layer boundaries or the imaging device is not directed perpendicular to the boundaries, such boundaries may be difficult or impossible to image. Thus, there remains a need for better imaging techniques to provide additional information concerning the vessel walls.
The devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein overcome one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art.